Detachable and foldable table accessory for armless chairs



Aug. 27, 1957 L. J. PALMER 2,804,126

DETACHABLE AND FOLDABLE TABLE ACCESSORY FOR ARMLESS CHAIRS Filed Oct. 8, 1954 'INVENTOR,

LAVINIA J. PLMER) ATTORNEY.

nited Stat P O M DETACHABLE AND FOLDABLE TABLE ACCESSORY FOR ARMLESS CHAIRS Lavinia I. Palmer, Lawrenceville, Va.

Application ()ctober 8, 1954, Serial No. 461,245

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-128) This invention relates to an attachment or accessory for use with an armless chair to provide a means whereby the advantages of a table, desk, or the like may be readily and inexpensively provided in a large proportion of homes since chairs of the type mentioned are so frequently found at least in the kitchen or living room.

I also aim to provide a structure which attains the end mentioned, that is capable of being folded to occupy minimum space when not in use or when stored or manually carried from place to place which facilitates mounting of the table panel in a level or the most advantageous position.

One more object is to provide such a structure wherein the leg support for the panel extends above the surface of the latter in operative position to serve as an abutment to prevent books, stationary and the like being pushed off, and the extension is preferably slotted to secondly function as a handle.

Another object is to provide such a structure wherein the table panel includes at the rear and one side thereof, a relatively narrow arm to function like a chair arm, the panel being relatively wide at the front, and having a support extended over a sufficient area to prop or brace the panel in and against displacement from 1ts operative position.

One more object is to provide the attachment with a clamp located at the rear end of the panel arm for engagement with the back of the chair, which clamp has a substantially universal connection with the panel arm through the medium of a ball and socket or along axes at angles to each other, and in some instances along a vertical axis only, in all cases such table top being capable of movement laterally with respect to the chair to a desired position for the support to rest on a level portion of a floor or to a position where the table panel may be used merely as a shelf or so that the chair may be used or moved in a normal manner notwithstanding the presence of my attachment.

It is further aimed to provide a structure having the functions and advantages mentioned which is light in weight and which may be expeditiously manufactured at minimum expense.

Various additional objects and advantages will be pointed out hereinafter as the description proceeds, with respect to accompanying drawings illustrating one preferred embodiment by way of example.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my invention operatively connected to an armless chair, the latter being suggested in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my improved attachment in folded condition;

Fig. 3 is a side edge elevation of the clamp and a fragment of the panel arm by which it is carried;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing a portion of the arm and the attaching clamp in a second form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is an inverted or bottom plan view of the parts of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on line 66 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the arm employing a modified form of attaching clamp.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, my invention is generally designated A and shown associated with one example of conventional chair C, the latter being represented by dotted lines and being of an armless type as employed in so many homes.

Said structure A employs a panel or table top 10 provided with a relatively wide front portion 11 disposable as in Fig. 1 above the lap of an occupant of chair C for use as a book rest, in writing, and generally as a table, desk, shelf or the like. Extending rearwardly from portion 11 at one side is a relatively narrow arm 12 which has a clamp or attaching means B for detachable connection to the back of chair C as at a side member D thereof.

Represented at 13 is a support for panel 10 shown as a double or bifurcated leg structure. This support 13 is relatively wide and its lower end is adapted to rest on the floor while at its upper end it is fitted into and braced in a recess 14 notched in the front edge of said panel 10 and is hinged to that panel as at 15 so that the support may be extended as in Fig. 1 or folded into parallelism with the panel 14) as in Fig. 2 to facilitate packing, storage or carrying from place to place.

An extension 16 is provided on the upper end of support 13 which forms an abutment or ledge to retain books, stationery and the like and it is slotted at 17 to secondly function as a convenient handle in carrying the structure in its condition of Fig. 2.

Any appropriate form of the attaching means or clamp B is carried by arm 12 at its rear end for detachable connection to the side member D of the chair. The clamp shown has a C-shaped body 18 providing a fixed jaw 18' with which a movable jaw coacts. Said movable jaw 20 is journalled on an operating screw 19 which is threaded in body 18 opposite jaw 18. laws 18' and 20 are of a shape appropriate for engagement with the particular chair part D and usually have concave faces as shown lined with felt, rubber or any equivalent cush iclalning material 21 so as not to mar the finish of the c air.

Said panel arm 12, as by means of a bolt 22, is pivotally connected on a vertical axis to an arm of clamp B so that the panel may be swung laterally thereon in attaining the objects and performing the functions desired as is suggested by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. Said bolt 22 may be passed directly through arm 12 as in Figures However, as shown in the form of Figs. 4, 5 and 6, said bolt 22 is passed through a leaf 23 of a hinge whose other leaf 24 is longer and screwed at 25 to the under surface of arm 12, the leaves 23 and 24 being pivotally connected by a pintle 26, and thus the movement of arm 12 relatively to the clamp for levelling, positioning, folding or adjusting the parts in both forms is on a vertical axis, and in the form of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is on axes 22 and 26 at right-angles to each other and thus substantially universal. The bolt 22 connects clamp B and arm 12 together sufficiently friction tight to enable clamp B to be folded flat against the arm 12 and of itself remain in that position as in Fig. 2 for compactness when the device is not in use and especially when being carried by handle 16. If desired for the same purpose the parts at both bolt 22 and 26 may be sufficiently friction tight.

It will be seen that the structure constitutes a unit attachable to practically any armless chair and at least to the type most universally used, and that the parts are so constructed that it may be readily carried in folded condition and readily attached to a chair most advantageously, levelled and positioned for use by a student, reader, or anyone-as a desk, table or the like, and even be swung laterally to one side of the chair to Which it is attached to enable normal use of the chair notwithstandsponds in construction and function to that at B has a ball 27 swivelled in a socket 28 mounted on an arm 12' corresponding in structure and function to that at 11, the remainder of the panel of which said arm is a part and its support being the same as the other forms, and thus the arm according to Fig. 7 has a universal joint connection with the clamp and is universally movable relatively to the clamp in properly adjusting and positioning the parts constituting my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A table accessory for attachment to the back of a chair comprising a panel adapted for approximate horizontal disposition, said panel having a Wide portion at the front thereof, a narrow portion on the panel extending rigidly rearwardly at one side thereof to locate said wide portion at the front of and above the chair seat for use by an occupant of that seat, a clamp flexibly attached to said narrow portion adjacent the rear end thereof and in extension thereof to enable lateral swinging of the panel on the clamp relatively to the chair,

4 said clamp having an opening of a size and shape enabling application through approximately horizontal movement to a side member of the chair back and vertical adjustment along that member in leveling said panel, and a second panel, said second panel being pivoted to the front edge portion of said wide portion, said second panel being substantially higher than the seat of the chair and of a length to reach the floor, to thereby support said front portion against tilting from both sides, said clamp and second panel being the sole supporting means for the accessory 2. A table accessory for attachment to the back of a chair according to claim 1, wherein the flexible connection of the clamp to the narrow portion comprises a hinge having two pivotally connected leaves, one of said leaves being attached to the said narrow portion and a fastening pivotally connecting the other leaf to the clamp.

3. A table accessoryfor attachment to the back of a chair according to claim 1, wherein said panels are foldable into parallelism and wherein said pivotal connection is along a plurality of axes, and permits folding of the clamp against the first panel in the opposite direction to that of the folding ofthe first panel.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 647,807 Collins Apr. 17, 1900 939,764 Vickers et al. Nov. 9, 1909 1,026,149 Crane May 14, 1912 1,640,441 Conrad Aug. 30, 1927 1,642,687 Morris Sept. 20, 1927 1,678,004 Ferris July 24, 1928 1,807,500 West May 26, 1931 1,823,214 Scriven et al Sept. 15, 1931 2,189,247 Johnson Feb. 6, 1940 2,499,062 Greenberg Feb. 28, 1950 2,510,436 Trammell June 6, 1950 2,615,771 Curtis Oct. 28, 1952 2,692,176 Miller Oct. 19, 1954 

